Masquerade
by Stephanie18
Summary: Challenge-based. Max and Logan meet at a costume party instead of Logan's penthouse; now Max has finally found out his secret... though things aren't exactly strictly EO between them. I.E.: hardly at all - Never. AU S1. ML-y. -COMPLETED-
1. Rabbits and Pirates, Oi Oi Oi

Masquerade 

Summary: Challenge-fic. Max and Logan meet at a costume party instead of Logan's penthouse. 

Disclaimer: I heart Cameron and Eglee. 

Challenge: From ML Fan at DAR. Write a fanfic with part of the premise is that in S1, Max and Logan meet at a costume party instead of at Logan's penthouse. 

A/N: I was browsing that board today and felt the urge to write, and this seemed a good a thing as any. Feedback always welcome. :) 

  
  
  
  


_Goddamn cotton tail._ Max thought angrily as the fuzzy accessory yet again snagged on another table corner. _Who the hell in their right mind has this many end tables anyway?_

She perused the halls of the Worther mansion with glee. The place was a thief's dream land, with expensive knickknacks and paintings littering almost every square corner of the gigantic mansion. She had to pass on most of it though, because her infernal costume wouldn't be able to hide much. 

She stopped in front of a mirror and shook her head, partly because she couldn't take the prize with her but mostly because she thought she looked like an ass and a half. Really, Sketchy probably wouldn't even be caught in this costume, even if he was stoned, but this was all Original Cindy could loan her. So, here she was at the biggest costume party of the year, an easy access chance to get some fine valuables, and she was dressed as a Peter Cottontail reject. 

Not seeing anything worthy taking in the hall, she checked to see that no one was coming then ducked into nearby room. Her eyes adjusted to the dark immediately and she smiled when she saw it was a bedroom, knowing that there was bound to be _something_ good in the room. She went over to the only bureau in the room and picked up the jewelry box with a smile. Quickly flipping back the lid and examining the contents, she knew exactly what she would be taking - all of it. 

_Thank whoever's up there for thinking in advance._ She thought with a smirk as she pulled out the small black bag that she had rigged to stay hidden on the inside of the costume. She put the jewelry box back down and began dropping the valuables into the bag one by one, careful not to damage any of the little beauties. 

The door opened suddenly and she froze, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice her. She then realized that it would be impossible for anyone to not notice her, and she doubted that any blind individuals were attending the party, which meant she was pretty well screwed. Her eyes were frozen on the man, who was dressed as a pirate, standing in the doorway. She could see his smirk even in the dark. 

He flicked on the lights and looked at her, his smirk still in place. "Get lost on your way to the bathroom?" 

"Uh, yeah." She replied and shoved the last bit of jewelry into her bag, then hid it under her costume again. "So, I'll just be going to find that bathroom now." 

The man watched her curiously as she walked up to him quite casually. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl, but he was sure he wanted to find out. Knowing that she was likely to just breeze right by him, he moved to block the doorway. 

Max stopped in front of the guy and sighed. "Fine, go ahead, call security. I'll just kick their collective ass." 

He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" 

"Yes, really." 

"Are you sure? 'Cause I've seen Dan's security team, and no offense here, but you don't look like you could hurt a fly." 

"Maybe not a fly." She agreed. "But I'd have no problem with a kicking a person's ass, especially not someone who's annoying me, like you, Mr. Johnny Depp knockoff." 

"Logan." The man grinned. "The name's Logan." 

"That's very nice for you, _Logan_," Max replied. "But I currently don't care. I'm just a girl lookin' to get paid." 

"You do realize that half of Carol's _fine jewelery_ are cheap knockoffs... like myself, apparently." 

"I'm aware, but you don't tell my dealers, I won't tell 'em either." She said. "Now, are you going to move or will I have to move you myself?" 

He smirked again (Lord, how much Max was growing to hate that smirk) and crossed his arms. "You're going to move me, huh?" 

Instead of replying verbally, Max used her fist. It connected squarely with his jaw, sending him flying backward into the hall and into one of the end tables. She stepped out of the room and bent over him, now smirking herself. 

"For the record," She said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "If I wanted you to be unconscious, you would be." 

She tapped his face lightly, then stepped over his legs and disappeared down the hall. 

Logan rubbed his throbbing jaw and watched her go, knowing that he would certainly have to learn everything about that girl - and the barcode on her neck would have to be a start. 


	2. Bingo?

A/N: Cinnamon, I await those virtual dollars. ;) 

Well, since some wanted it, I shall continue on with this. I quote the Pilot occasionally (okay, a lot), just because sometimes it makes sense. And I'm also borrowing Peter from the Pilot too. Hmm, shall we just say that knowing the basic facts from the Pilot would be a good thing? This will be the **only** chapter that follows the Pilot so closely, and I apologize for it's boringness. Excitement shall come in later chapters. But not too late. 

  
  
  
  
"Bingo." 

"What do you got?" Peter asked as he entered the room. 

"Surveillance video from the Worther estate." Logan replied and brought up a video. He froze it on the mystery woman in the rabbit costume and focused in on her face. 

"You're sure _she_ knocked you down?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"It's not something that's easy to forget." He replied and clenched his jaw. 

"So, what now?" 

Logan turned to look at him. "I find her." 

"And how are you going to do that?" Peter questioned. 

_Well, that was where the plan snags._ Logan thought with a frown. _All I've got is a picture. This is gonna be one hell of a job... job. Job. Job!_

Logan snapped forward and began typing madly. He smiled to himself as he brought up the employment database the FBI told everyone didn't exist. The fact that the government had files on basically everyone who was currently employed within the US bothered him greatly, but at the moment the government's iron grip was helping him out a little, so he'd postpone the cable hack... for a few days anyway. 

"What're you doing?" Peter asked as he watched Logan peruse the database, expertly weaving his way through file after file. 

"Just narrowing the search to the area..." Logan mumbled as a reply and typed something quickly. Now he was left with only ten options. He went through the first seven with no luck and as the page to the eighth began loading (slowly) he feared that he would never find her... but then that same unsmiling face was staring back at him. 

_Max Guevara, Jam Pony Messenger Service._ He smiled and turned to Peter. "I think I may need to have something rush delivered." 

* * * * 

Max knocked on the front door and sighed. She never did like making deliveries to or collecting packages from the high rise district. Everyone always gave her a look as if she wasn't anything more to them than some dirt on the bottom of their shoes, and it wasn't like she could scream of her superior... well, everything really. 

The door opened, revealing an extremely muscular man who could pass for a serial killer quite well. 

"Jam Pony messenger." She said, obviously bored. 

"Right." The man grunted. "Hold on." 

He disappeared into the apartment, and Max took it as an invitation. She stepped inside quietly and looked around, hoping to find something nearby that she could grab quickly. She smirked as she spotted a table in the next room that held a few items that might be of interest to her. As she crept further into the apartment, she realized that this was really the only perk to winding up on the job in the high rise district. As she was examining a small knickknack that could've been a possibility, a voice startled her. 

"Do you do that wherever you go?" 

She whirled around, dropping the knickknack in the process. "You!" 

Logan smiled at her. "Hello to you too." 

"What are _you_ doing here?" She growled, her eyes narrowing. 

"I live here." 

She shook her head, unable to believe her luck. "You're not serious." 

"Oh, I'm very serious." He said and approached her slowly. He lowered his voice to prevent Peter, who they were both aware was standing in the doorway eavesdropping, from hearing. "After the party and that little punch you managed to land on me, I knew I had to check you out. And I must say, the barcode on the back of your neck was a real time saver." 

Her hand flew up to the back of her neck instantly and she began massaging the damnable tattoo. She noticed him smirk (which she now officially hated) and couldn't stop her anger from flaring up. "What the hell do you think you're playing with here?" 

He continued to smirk and slowly walked away from her. "I'm not sure exactly, but I'm fairly certain it's something akin to fire." 

"Are you _high_?" She asked, her hand falling limply to her side. 

He turned to look at her with that smirk that seemed to be plastered to his face. "Not at all." 

"Well you could've fooled me." She snapped. 

"I did bring you here for a reason." He told her. "I know what you are." 

"Look -" 

"I got an anonymous report a few years ago about a covert genetics lab in the Wyoming mountains -" 

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I'm out because you're a wack-job." 

"I located a guy claiming to be a med tech on something called Project Manticore, which was using recombinant DNA to produce a superior human, a warrior, an advanced infantry soldier." 

"Not that I don't enjoy an urban legend now and then," She bit. "But what's this got to do with me?" 

"The barcode on your neck." 

She shook her head after hearing this and turned to storm out of the apartment, but his next words stopped her cold. 

"I know you're one of the twelve that escaped." 

She turned to face him and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Twelve?" 


	3. Late and Wait

She sat on the couch, staring ahead and not paying much attention at all to what Logan was saying. _Twelve. Twelve! I always knew that Zack had to escape... and this file. Damn. That's Zack. Twelve. Did Jondy make it? Krit? Zane? Syl? Brin? If only I knew... Jesus, what the hell is he talking about?_

"That's why I want your help." 

She closed the folder and tossed it onto the coffee table, shaking her head. "What? So I guess you think you can figure me all out and pull out these pretty pictures here and think I'll help you? For nothing?" 

"I can help you find the others." He told her. 

"And how do you know I want to find them?" She snapped. 

"How could you not?" He asked quietly. "I mean, if it was me, I would." 

"Well it isn't you." She sneered and stood up, then crossed her arms and stared down at him angrily. _Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn't even know me!_ She turned to walk out of the apartment, but stopped when she realized something. The look on her face softened just a bit and she turned to look at him again. "What would you need help with?" 

"I have to meet a woman tonight, Lauren Braganza." He explained. "She's going to testify against Edgar Sonrisa. She worked for one of his managers and witnessed workers removing cortodiazapine from gelcaps by hand and replacing it with powdered sugar. Now that she's willing to talk, Sonrisa wants her silenced." 

"And how does that have anything to do with me?" 

"Well, I figured with your..." He paused to search for the right word. "Background, you might be able to help with -" 

"You want me to be a bodyguard." It wasn't a question. 

"More or less." He shrugged. 

She stood for a moment, silent and obviously deep in thought. With each second that ticked by Logan became more and more worried that she would say no, which would leave him in a not so good situation. He kept his face as neutral as possible when she looked him in the eye, which was no easy task. 

"I'm going to help you." She said finally. "But don't think it's because I want to help you. I'm being very selfish here and I'm proving to myself that I'm not Manticore anymore." 

"Sorry?" 

"If I was still Manticore's perfect little soldier, I'd walk out of here, but not before flipping you off of course." She explained. "But I'm not that anymore, so I'm going to help you." 

_Not the best, but I'll take it._ Logan thought. 

"So, when and where is this going down?" She inquired. 

"Down by the water front, dock fifteen, eight o'clock." 

"Okay, I'll be there." 

"Max -" 

"This conversation is over." She interrupted. "You better bring something with you tonight, 'cause I want my payment upfront. I don't work for nothing and I don't play games." 

"Understood." He replied and gave a curt nod. 

"Good." She replied, then turned and walked out of the apartment. 

Logan sat back and went over the entire conversation in his mind. She had definitely won, of that he was sure, but he wasn't quite sure of much else. She hadn't been too happy that she was listed on a government database, and had been curious as to how he would "take care of it for her," but he wasn't quite secure with telling her about Eyes Only. 

_Maybe if tonight goes well I'll tell her._ He thought. 

* * * * * 

Max frowned as she looked at her watch; 8:15. The man was sloppy. When someone told her eight o'clock, she arrived at seven fifty-five. _Must be the military bitch in me,_ she mused with a smirk. She scoffed and rolled her eyes at herself, sick of smirks. Logan had smirked a few times during their conversation that day and it had royally pissed her off, but at the time he had been talking about finding her siblings, so who was she to slap - or punch - the smirk off his face? 8:17. Now she was starting to get pissed off. 

At exactly 8:25, just when Max was considering leaving, the ugliest car she had ever seen pulled up beside her, headlights blaring. She got off her bike, ready to tell Logan just where he could shove his bodyguard work, and stalked over to the car just as he was getting out. 

"A little late, aren't we?" She snapped, hands on her hips. 

"Well, I assumed -" 

"Look," She interrupted. Logan noticed she had been doing a lot of that. "When you tell a person eight o'clock, that person thinks you mean eight o'clock, and you especially arrive on time if that person has a hostile military background and could kick your ass from here to New York." 

"I apologize." Logan told her. "Peter and I got held up." 

"Doing what?" She asked. 

"He was busy finding information on your little problem." Peter entered the conversation. "He didn't want to leave until he had something for you." 

"Oh." She said, softening. "Well... okay then. Can I see it?" 

Logan nodded and opened the door of the Aztek, reached inside and pulled out a folder. He handed it to Max with an indifferent expression, though he really did care what she thought of his work - though he wasn't sure why. 

She flipped through the information, then shoved it inside her jacket. "So, where is she?" 

"She should be here soon." He told her. "I told her to come a little late in case someone had found out about the meeting she'd have a little time." 

Hoping it wouldn't be too long of a wait, Max shoved her hands in her pockets and looked up at the moon. 


	4. Slumber Party at Logan's, Only Not

It was after nine when another set of headlights fell upon Max's face. She shook her head and realized that she would have to teach these people the meaning of the word 'covert.' She hopped off her bike and strolled over to Logan, prepared to protect him if she had to, but she sincerely doubted she would. With her enhanced vision she checked the passengers in the car: only one, a woman who was assumably Lauren Braganza. 

"That her?" She asked, cocking her head to look up at Logan. 

"Yeah." He replied, not looking down at her. He watched the car intently, hoping that Lauren was all right and hadn't been delayed by something harmful. 

"I'll go get her." Max announced and began walking toward the car. She walked over slowly, staring at the ground as she went. As she reached the car door she wondered what exactly she was doing there. _Is it really to prove something? Or someo - something else?_

Lauren unlocked the door for her and Max got into the car, slamming the door closed after her. She watched Logan and Peter pile back into the ugly car and pull away from the dock. She turned to Lauren and instructed, "All right, just follow him." 

"I'm sorry, but when Logan said I'd have someone to protect me, I -" 

"Trust me, I can take care of you more than adequately." Max said, and she even managed a small smile. _It's going to be a long night._

* * * * 

Max walked into Logan's apartment, Lauren following close behind. She quickly scanned the apartment as they walked in and was quite satisfied that there wasn't anyone there who shouldn't have been. She led Lauren into the computer room, where they found Logan already pouring over a file. 

"Mission complete." Max announced and crossed her arms. 

Logan finished typing something, then swiveled in his chair to face them. "Not quite, actually." 

"What do you mean?" She scowled. 

"Well, Lauren still needs to testify. The trial's tomorrow and we'll need everything to be -" 

"Fine, but I want more stuff." She interrupted. "I told you about how I work." 

He smirked at her and grabbed a file from the desk then held it out to her. "You don't work for free and you don't play games." 

"Right." She said flatly and accepted the file. 

"I'll go make up the guest room." He smiled at them both then left the room. 

Lauren stared at Max, watching her curiously. When Max noticed and looked up at her, she smiled nervously, then decided to ask what she'd been wondering for a few minutes now. 

"Are you two -" 

"No." 

* * * 

Logan fluffed a pillow and tossed it onto the couch, then laid down, happy to be able to get the rest. He was faintly aware of someone else in the room, so he opened his eyes and turned his head. 

"You're in my spot." 

Logan sat up and looked at her. "Oh, no, you can have my room. Lauren's in the guest room and I figured after all the trouble I've put you through that you could -" 

"I don't sleep." Max told him. "A bed would be wasted on me." 

"But -" 

"Go in your room before I kick your ass." 

"Okay." He said and stood up. "I guess I can't argue with that logic." 

"I guess not." Max said quietly as she watched him go. She sighed, then laid down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. 


	5. Voltaire and Some Eggs

Logan walked into the living room, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, then looked in the direction of the couch. Max was sitting there, all stretched out and reading one of his books... and was that the stereo? It was so low he could barely tell it was on, but then he figured that was the whole point, and that Max could probably hear it just as well as he would be able to if it were on full blast. 

"Morning." Max mumbled. 

"Hey." Logan greeted. "How did you... er, not sleep?" 

"Pretty good." Max said, then closed the book and turned to look at him. "I've been reading about this Voltaire guy." 

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Voltaire? Really?" 

"Yeah." She said, waving the book around. "Turns out he was this philosopher guy and had all these crazy ideas that nobody liked a whole lot." 

"They didn't teach you about Voltaire in -" 

Max shook her head. "They weren't exactly into fine literature and philosophy. It was more like train, train, train to kill, kill, kill." 

"I don't think Lauren's up yet." Logan said, then gestured to the kitchen. "You want something to eat?" 

"You know how I don't work for free and I don't play games?" Max asked. Logan nodded. "Well, I don't turn down free food either." 

She smiled and followed him into the kitchen. She hopped onto the counter gracefully and began watching Logan cook. She'd never witnessed a man - hell, she'd never witnessed _anyone_ cooking an actual meal. It was usually cooked somewhere she couldn't see, or Kendra brought something home from her mother's. She'd never seen someone actually dig a pan out of a cabinet, throw some margarine in it (she wasn't sure she'd ever even seen margarine), and actually crack eggs over it. To her it was amazing. 

"What?" Logan asked, his usual smirk in this place. For some reason Max didn't mind it so much this time. 

"Nothing. Just thinking something stupid." She replied, her eyes fixed on the quickly cooking eggs. 

"I'm sure it's not stupid." He said, looking at the eggs himself. "Sorry, I hope you like your eggs overeasy." 

"Never had it." She told him, trying to conjure a memory of the last time she had eggs. _It was about a month ago. Kendra brought some cold scrambled eggs back from a breakfast she had at her mother's. They were good. Cold, but good._

"Seriously?" He asked and expertly flipped the eggs over. "You've never had eggs overeasy?" 

"Never." She informed him. "I guess I'm sheltered." 

Logan's smirk grew to a full-out grin as he placed some plates on the counter. "Somehow, I don't see you as a overeasy kind of person." 

"And why not?" 

"Because," He smiled. "The other name for them is _sunny side up_." 

* * * * 

Max shoved her hands in her pockets and looked toward the doorway. They were behind schedule as it was, which was something she had begun to realize was common when working with Logan, and she wasn't liking it. Finally, she yelled out, "Let's go!" 

Peter came out first, tucking a gun into his belt. He had another in his hand and held it out to Max expectantly. 

"I don't do guns." She told him, staring at the offending weapon. 

Peter sighed and turned to Logan, who was walking through the doorway at the moment. "She doesn't do guns." 

"You're probably the only one in the city that doesn't." He said and took the gun Peter was holding out for him. 

"I'm okay with that." She shrugged. "Lauren ready yet?" 

"She's coming now." Logan said. "Now are you sure about this plan of yours?" 

Max nodded. "If Peter didn't hurt my poor bike too much last night then everything should work out okay. I wasn't just reading last night. I was working through the situation, weighing the risks and all that good stuff." 

"I'm ready." Lauren announced as she entered the room. 

Max looked over to Logan and grinned. "Let's go." 

* * * * 

Lauren watched Max pick the lock of the back entrance of the courthouse and wondered who this girl really was. She seemed quite confident that she could protect her even from Sonrisa's men and she had an air about her that was so much more than human. Lauren wasn't sure what she thought about the girl just yet, but as long as Logan trusted her then she figured she would hold off any judgment 

"Come on." Max said, holding the door open for her. 

"Are you sure?" Lauren asked, hesitating. 

"I make up everything as I go along," She told her honestly. "But in this case I'm pretty sure we'll be okay. Like I said, I can more than adequately protect you." 

Lauren paused before walking through the door. She bit her lip, then took a breath and told Max, "I really hope you can, because I have a little girl and right now I have no intentions to leave her without a mother." 

After Lauren had walked through the door, Max groaned and thought, _Why? Why did she have to tell me that? Why did she have to tell me that? **Why** did she have to tell me that? Now I might care what happens today. Dammit!_


	6. BANG, You're Dead

Max stopped in front of the court room door and listened to what was going on inside. Satisfied that for the moment it was just a regular trial, she pushed the door open wide, then grabbed Lauren by the arm and drug her into the room. 

"Sorry to interrupt." She said loudly. "But there was a mad traffic jam out there. I believe this is your witness." 

Max bowed sarcastically, then smiled at Lauren and took a seat next to him. She felt him squirm and knew that it meant he was uncomfortable with her entrance, and the look Peter gave her said that he was in agreement, though much more perturbed. _Oh well,_ she thought. _She's here, isn't she? Now all I have to do is make sure she's alive at the end of the day._

Peter leaned over and whispered in Logan's ear, "Your girl isn't my idea of a team player." 

Logan leaned over and whispered back to Peter, "She probably heard you just now." 

Max leaned forward in order to get a good look at both of them and smiled widely. She gave a little wave and whispered, "Hi, Peter." 

"I'm sure you two can continue this later." Logan broke in, sensing something was going to go down between the two. "Right now we have more important things to be worrying about." 

Both Peter and Max sat back, both on high alert. Not one of the three of them would put it past Sonrisa to try and gun Lauren down in the courtroom. Once Sonrisa's lawyer began talking about ethics and things totally unrelated to the case, Max turned to Logan. "Did you know Lauren has a daughter?" 

"A daughter? Really?" Logan replied, not taking his eyes off the scene before him. "I didn't know that." 

"Yeah. She basically told me I better protect her ass 'cause she didn't want her daughter to grow up without a mother." Max said. Then added with a tinge of sadness in her voice, "Must be nice. You know, having a mother... and one who cares. That's gotta be... wow." 

Logan slowly turned his head and looked down at Max. He smiled warmly then took her hand in his. She smiled back, then they both turned their attention back to the case going on in front of them. Sonrisa's lawyer finished his speech, then the judge called on the plaintiff, the city. The lawyer stood up and called Lauren to the stand. She took her oath and sat down and that's when Max's soldier instinct kicked in. 

"Something's happening." She muttered to Logan and disentangled their hands. She stood up and Logan let her go, knowing that she could feel something he had no idea of. Her eyes roamed all over the room, examining everyone in it. Finally her gaze came upon a man sitting in the first bench, directly behind the city's lawyer. 

_Perfect position._ Max thought as she walked down toward him. _He's got direct aim to - Oh my God!_

The man's hand had dipped inside his jacket and Max knew that it might be too late. She ran full speed toward him, then leapt into the air and managed to grab him. She had the back of his jacket as she continued flying through the air, but lost her grip on the man and he just slammed up against the desk in front of him. Knowing he wouldn't be long to react, Max went rushing over to Lauren. Again she leapt into the air, but this time kept her grip. Lauren went tumbling to the floor with Max just as gunshots rang through the room. 

Max stayed on top of Lauren, for some reason unknown to her, wanting to keep her promise about her daughter having a mother. There were two more shots, then a grunt, and silence. Max lifted her head slowly and looked around the room. The shooter was slumped over the bench, blood trickling from two bullet wounds in his back, and Peter was standing in his spot, his gun held firmly in his hand. 

_Oh, Goddamn._ Max thought with exasperation as she saw another potential shooter glancing back at Logan. She was already halfway across the room and had dove at Logan by the time the shot rang out, but this time it was different. This time she felt a sharp pain that she didn't like very much at all. 

Logan looked at her and she looked at him, then another shot rang out and Peter was rushing to them. Max looked down at the source of pain and saw that the bullet had grazed both their arms and a steady flow of blood was dribbling from the wounds. She frowned and looked back to Logan. 

"We've been shot." 


	7. Awkwardness Near a Bathtub

The four trooped into Logan's apartment, Logan holding a hand over his still bleeding wound, Max with a handkerchief Lauren had wrapped around hers. Peter was looking stoic and Lauren was looking quite frightened. They had stopped in the kitchen for Max and Logan to get a good look at their wounds, and Max had burst out laughing, followed by Logan. 

"I don't see what's so funny." Lauren snapped. "I - we could've died!" 

"It's not that." Max said through her laughter. 

"Oh, no." Logan agreed, managing to control his laughter. "It isn't that. It's just that... well, look at us." 

"I fail to see the funny side myself." Peter grumbled and set his guns on the counter. 

"All right." Logan shrugged, then winced at the pain it brought. He looked over his shoulder at Max. "I've got some antiseptic and gauze in the bathroom." 

"Lead the way." She said, the last bits of laughter draining from her. 

Once in the bathroom, Logan opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the antiseptic and gauze. He started pulling out some of the gauze while Max removed the handkerchief, then shrugged off her jacket and tore the sleeve off her shirt in one swift motion. 

"It's not so bad." She remarked as she looked at her wound. "Just stings a little now." 

"Mine is killing me." Logan said, then rested the antiseptic and gauze on the sink and removed his own jacket. He peeled off his shirt and looked at his wound, completely missing the once over Max had given him. 

"You just don't have the genes." She said and picked up the antiseptic and gauze. She moved over to the bathtub and sat down on the edge. She placed the gauze on the floor, then patted the space next to her with her free hand. "Sit." 

"Why?" He asked warily. 

She rolled her eyes. "Unless you would like antiseptic all over this pretty little floor of yours here, I suggest you sit your ass down." 

"More logic I can't argue with." He smirked and took a seat next to her. 

Max gently held onto his upper arm with her free hand and began pouring generous amounts of the antiseptic onto the wound. She could feel him wince under her grip and smiled just a little. _And to think I'd almost forgotten how much this stuff stings these poor mere mortals._

"I wanted to say," He began as he watched her dab more antiseptic on the wound. "That you were really amazing today." 

She shrugged and reached down for the gauze. "It's what I was built for. No big deal." 

"No, if it weren't for you, Sonrisa would be free and Lauren would probably be dead." He said. Their eyes met as she wrapped gauze around the grazing and he added softly, "I would probably be dead too." 

Suddenly uncomfortable and not quite sure why, Max tied the gauze so it would stay, then slowly turned away from Logan so he could begin cleaning her wound. A shiver ran over her as he lightly gripped her upper arm and began pouring the antiseptic over it. 

_Must be the antiseptic._ She thought quickly. _Maybe it **does** sting even to transgenics after all. What else could it be?_

"It was really nothing." She said finally, her voice quiet. "Anyone would've done it." 

"No, they wouldn't." He replied, beginning to wrap gauze around her injury. After he had finished wrapping and tied it off, they both began to become very aware that his hand was lingering. 

Max shifted quickly to look up at him. His hand fell away and she stared at it a moment, then slowly looked up to face him. For a moment it looked like she was going to say something, but instead she got up quickly and collected her jacket, and for some reason the ripped sleeve, from the floor and rushed out of the room. 

He sat for a moment, wondering exactly what had happened. _Maybe you should figure out what the hell you're feeling first Cale,_ he thought soberly. With a sigh, he twisted around and turned on the faucet, washing the remnants of the antiseptic down the drain, then put everything away and scooped his jacket up from the floor. He stared at it for a moment, then realized that Lauren had still to tape a testimony, so he shut the light off and left the bathroom. 

* * * 

"Thanks." Max smiled at Lauren, then looked down at the shirt the other woman had let her borrow. 

"It's a definite improvement from this." Lauren chuckled and held up Max's previous shirt. 

"I'd say so." Max agreed with a grin. 

There was a soft knock on the door, then Logan's voice came from the other side of the door. "Lauren? I thought maybe we should get taping that testimony. The judge wants it seven AM sharp, so we really shouldn't put it off." 

Lauren noticed the frown that was now the dominant feature of Max, but decided not to say anything. She still wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, but she knew it wasn't anything that could be constituted as a normal working relationship. She gave Max a small smile then disappeared from the room. 

Max waited until she heard the footsteps totally fade away before she left the room. 


	8. Peter, The Good News Bear

A/N: Ever heard of Raynaud's Disease? Yeah, well, it **sucks**. It's not a fun thing to have when typing. *shakes head and warms hands* But enough of me and my nonsensical saying of stuff... story time... 

  
  


  
  
Max sat at the table, making her pancakes, eggs, and bacon into a frowning face. _This is probably the last time you'll get the chance to eat something decent, you should probably eat it and stop making stupid faces with it._ She sighed and put her fork down, suddenly not hungry at all. She glanced across the table at Logan and noticed he hadn't touched a thing either, though he hadn't made a face out of his food. She turned to look at Lauren and saw that she had finished her breakfast entirely and was now enjoying the Business section of the newspaper. 

A few more painfully silent minutes slowly ticked by, then Max heard the front door open. She looked up and realized she was the only one that heard, which disappointed her. As she watched Peter walk through the doorway removing his soaking wet coat, she became even more disappointed. 

_Great, not only do I have to leave, but I have to get soaked in the process._ She thought in a grumble. _Well, well, well. What's worse? The leaving or the rain? Could it be **the leaving**? Face it, Max. Just face it. Face it, face it, face it!_

"Max?" 

"Huh?" She asked, her attention now on Logan. 

"I, uh, said that Peter's back." Logan said slowly, not sure if he had offended her for some reason. 

"Oh." She said, then looked up at Peter. "Good news?" 

Peter was a little taken aback. He had been expecting a clever retort of some kind, like 'You'd left?' but he had not been expecting the frown or the confusion on her face. He smiled down at her weakly, frankly feeling sorry for the poor thing. "Yeah. The video was enough to get Sonrisa put away for fifteen, and combine that with the other testimonies and he won't be leaving his jail cell unless it's in a body bag." 

"Well, that's good news." Max said, though her tone suggested that she might've thought otherwise. 

Lauren's smile and cheerful tone were genuine. "That's fantastic! This means I can get back to my daughter then?" 

"Well, I suppose." Logan nodded. "We really don't need anything more from you." 

"I'm going to go pack then." She smiled and excused herself from the table. 

Peter took her seat at the table and grabbed an unused plate from the center of the table, then began piling it with food. He took a bite of bacon, then looked up to see Max and Logan. They weren't looking at each other, in fact they weren't even looking in the same direction. 

_When Lauren told me she suspected something I thought she was crazy, but Jesus!_ He shook his head and picked up his plate. "I'm going to go eat in the living room and watch the news." 

The two sat quietly for a few more minutes, then Logan finally cleared his throat. He was a little thrown off when Max's head snapped up so quickly, but he continued nonetheless. "Um, well, I found something else for you." 

"Really?" She asked, pushing away her plate of frowning pancakes. 

He nodded, then passed her a small envelope. She opened it slowly, for the first time not feeling the same excitement she had felt when opening a mysterious file. She pulled a small invitation from the envelope and looked at it curiously for a moment, then opened it and read the inside. 

_Logan Cale! _

Your presence is requested on the first of the next month at the Worther estate. Another fine masquerade ball is to be held and the Worthers request your, and a guest's if you so wish, presence at 8pm. 

Regards, the Worthers 

She stared curiously at the invitation, then looked at Logan. "What is this?" 

He shrugged. "I thought that, you know, as a last hurrah we might go... together." 

Max smiled widely. "I think I can clear my schedule." 


	9. Tango, Tango

Max grinned as she knocked on the door. _Oh this is genius. Girl, you have really outdone yourself. This is just - what the hell?_

Logan had answered the door, revealing his choice of costume: a rabbit suit. He looked over Max's pirate costume and couldn't help but smile. "So, what are you supposed to be? A Johnny Depp knockoff?" 

"Funny." Max faked a scowl. "And you are... Peter Cottontail's bastard offspring?" 

"Looks we had the same idea." Logan smirked. 

_Smirk's not so bad now that I think about it._ "Guess so." She grinned back. "You ready to go?" 

"Of course." He replied then stepped out of the apartment. He looked her up and down, wondering something. 

"What?" She asked as they began walking down the hall, arm in arm. 

"It's just..." He stopped and pushed the button for the elevator, then turned to her. "Where are you going to put all the things you steal?" 

She grinned at him. "The sword sheath is empty. The sword handle twists off, so I can fit some nice jewelry inside it." 

"Genius." He grinned back. 

"Thank you." 

* * * * * 

Logan scanned the room for Max then sighed. She had already disappeared four times already on him and he had only found her once, in the coat closet going through all the jacket pockets. She had been gone much longer this time and he was starting to get worried that Dan's men had found her and she had to make a hasty exit. 

"Logan?" 

He turned at the sound of his name and saw a woman with long blonde hair dressed as a turtle. For a moment he didn't recognize her, but then it dawned on him. "Clara? Clara Waters?" 

"You remember." She smiled. "And to think, everyone told me that once Logan Cale was over you that was it, your name was forgotten." 

"There were a lot of stories about me that weren't true." He frowned, then lightened up. "But anyway, what's new? Why're you here?" 

"Oh, well, nothing is _new_." She said, her smile still in place. "I'm actually here with my cousin William. He's been bugging me lately about getting out and about, so I came. Hmm, I just noticed that together we make the tortoise and the hare." 

"Weren't the tortoise and the hare enemies?" 

Logan looked over his shoulder to see where the familiar voice was coming from, then watched as Max grabbed a glass of champagne from a tray a waiter was carrying and walked over to them. She sipped the champagne lazily, raising her eyebrows at him while she did. 

"Um, what?" Clara asked, confused by Max's comment. 

Max stopped drinking and looked at her as if she were addressing a child. "The tortoise and the hare. They were enemies. They were racing _against_ each other." 

"They were still a pair." Clara replied. 

"A pair of enemies." Max shrugged. "But a pair nonetheless, so I guess you're right." 

"Right." Clara smiled fakely then turned to Logan. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I really must get going. William told me to get mingling, so a mingling I will go." 

"All right." Logan smiled and watched her go, then turned to Max and cocked an eyebrow. "What was that?" 

"What was what?" Max asked and sipped her champagne. 

"It looked like you were ready to rip her head off." 

"Don't be ridiculous." Max snorted. "I wouldn't _rip_ it off. I'm a sophisticated soldier, Logan. I probably would've used some sort of device or possibly just - what? Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"It's just... curious, is all." He shrugged. 

She switched her stance so she was supporting all her weight on one leg, then put a hand on her hip and cocked her head. "What's so curious, may I ask?" 

"Nothing, nothing." He said, then snatched the empty champagne glass from her hand and placed it expertly on a tray that was being carried away by a waiter. He knew she would protest, so he held his hand out to her before she could say a thing. "Dance with me?" 

"Not until you tell me what's so damn curious." She said, crossing her arms. 

"Don't worry about it." He said and put a hand on her arm. "Come on, dance with me." 

She regarded him for a moment, then rolled her eyes and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Her stony expression remained for some of the dance, but when Logan wiggled his eyebrows and spun her, bringing her close, and began doing the tango, she couldn't help but smile. 

"I'm not a tango type of girl." She smiled at him as they sharply switched directions. 

"Of course you are." He grinned down at her. "_Everyone_ can do the tango." 

"Not me." She said as they slowed and returned to a regular pace. "I'm not exactly a ballroom person." 

"Neither am I." He told her. "But anyone can do the tango." 

"Would you like to prove that theory?" She dared. 

"Yes, I would." He smiled at her, then rushed off into the sea of dancing people. 

Max had to admit that she was a little surprised when Logan came back a few minutes later, a small train of people behind him. There were three different couples: a couple that looked in their sixties, one that looked in their twenties, and a couple of kids who couldn't have been more than ten years old. She couldn't help but smile down at the kids who were grinning up at her, glad to see that someone was able to enjoy their youth. 

Logan flashed her a smile, then turned to the couples. "And... tango!" 

Max watched, quite amused, as each of the couples began to tango before her eyes. She vaguely realized that Logan had walked to stand next to her as she watched, almost in a trance, and watched the pairs dance all around. 

"I told you everyone can do the tango." He whispered in her ear, then offered her his hand. She smiled up at him and accepted it. 

* * * * 

Logan hung his coat up on the hanger then turned to Max and told her that he'd go make the coffee. She watched him go, then took it upon herself to wander into the living room. She sat on the couch and yawned. 

_Haven't done that in a while._ She thought, then laid down. _Maybe just a quick cat nap, then I'll drink my coffee and head home..._

When Logan walked into the living room a few minutes later, two cups of coffee in hand, he smiled at the sight of Max sleeping. He set the cups down on the coffee table quietly, then grabbed a blanket from behind the couch and carefully draped it over her, not wanting to wake her for he knew that she didn't sleep often and would probably need it. He grabbed his cup of coffee, then went into the computer room. 

He took a sip of coffee, then opened the files he would need for his latest hack. He sorted through the information, figuring out what he really needed to include and what details he could leave out without hurting the content of the hack. After deciding all that, he removed his glasses and set up the equipment. 

Finally, he cleared his throat and began, "Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will -" 

"I thought your eyes looked familiar." 


	10. The Chapter Where People Talk A Lot

A/N: I'm a chapter ahead of myself. Yay! ...What am I doing here? I should be _writing_, dammit! 

  
  


  
  
Logan sat in his chair, frozen. For a moment he thought he might be paralyzed, but he worked up the nerve and slowly turned to face Max. They stared at each other for a while, then he finally managed a word. "What?" 

Max shrugged and walked into the room. She moved over to the desk and sat on the edge of it, then looked down at Logan as she spoke. "I knew there was something familiar about you. Now I know what." 

"I... I..." 

"You don't have to worry." She shrugged. "I'm not going to tell anyone." 

"It's not that." He said. "It's just that you're the first to know." 

"What about Peter?" She frowned. "Hasn't he been working for you long enough to know?" 

Logan shook his head and pushed away from the desk. "No time is long enough, Max. If any of the people I worked with knew, it could put them in more danger than necessary and I don't want that." 

"Well, I guess it's perfect that I was the first to find out then." She said. "I don't think my life could get any more dangerous. Well, maybe if there was a bomb strapped to my chest or some flesh eating virus in me, but what're the odds of me letting anyone get that close, right?" 

"Well," Logan said slowly. "I'd hope you'd let someone get that close, but trust them not to strap a bomb to your chest, or... give you a flesh eating virus." 

Max grinned at him. "Someone." 

She moved away from the desk and went to the doorway. She turned to smile at Logan. "See ya tomorrow, Eyes." 

He watched her go, not quite sure what had happened. She had found out but she didn't seem all that fazed. _Anyone else would've been a lot less cool and collected. Then again, Max isn't anyone else._ He sat for a moment, then went back to his broadcast. 

* * * * 

Max smiled happily as she put her glasses on and looked at her bike. She looked down at it like it was her child, which it was really, then wheeled it toward the door. She was almost through when a voice startled her. 

"Where are you doing now? I haven't seen you for more than ten minutes at a time!" 

Max turned to face Kendra and her smile dimmed. _Somehow I doubt I'm gonna be able to go out for a ride tonight._ "Huh?" 

"You come home, you go to work, you disappear and don't come back until late." Kendra said, crossing her arms. "I'm starting to think something's up." 

"I've just been... um... busy." 

"Busy doing what?" Kendra questioned. 

"Um..." Max tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't. She sighed and rolled her bike back to its spot. "All right, fine. I met... someone." _Someone._

"A guy?" Kendra asked, perking up. 

"Yes, he is a guy." Max said and took off her glasses. 

"Is he cute?" She asked and sat on the couch. 

"I suppose." Max replied and sat next to her friend. "I mean, we're just friends." 

Kendra arched an eyebrow. "You've been disappearing like a bad David Blaine for a guy who's just a friend? Right, and I'll be wearing a white wedding dress." 

"Kendra, really, we're just... friends." 

Kendra shook her head and stood up. "Then you must be doing something wrong. Night, Max." 

"Night." Max mumbled and settled back in the couch. _Am I doing something wrong?_

* * * * 

"Ever notice how cats always show up when there's food around?" 

Grinning, Max walked from the doorway and into the kitchen. "It's one of our better qualities, especially if whoever you're visiting is a good cook." 

"Staying?" He asked as he finished making a sandwich. 

"Can't." She told him. "Normal, my boss, is on the warpath. I was delivering a package in the sector and thought I'd drop by." 

_Good lie, good lie._ She thought. _Don't let him know that you were three sectors away. It might make you sound - is that ham?_ "Is that ham?" 

"Yeah." He said. "You want one?" 

"Only if you feel like making one." She said, staring at his already made sandwich. 

"Here, you take this one and I'll make another." He said and pushed the plate toward her. He knew she would protest, so he started up a new conversation. "So, I found some stuff on another of your siblings. I found a police report from six months ago in Los Angeles about a blonde woman who escaped police custody after an... extremely athletic show. They managed to shoot her once in the leg, but it seemed to be nothing to her." 

"Blonde?" Max repeated, then began going over the blonde girls in her unit. There were only two, Jondy and Syl. "Was that all?" 

Logan nodded. "Sorry it's not much." 

"It's more than enough." She smiled at him. Her pager went off suddenly, annoying her. She checked it and sighed when she saw it was from the phone at Jam Pony. "That's probably Normal wondering where the hell I am. I better get going." 

"Hey, uh, do you wanna... stop by for dinner?" He asked. 

"I'll think about." She grinned and left. 


	11. The Not A Date Date, And Things

A/N: This chapter feels short to me. Maybe because it is. Is it? Probably. Oh well. I need to be writing. 

  
  
  
  


_It's not a date. Kendra's crazy. This is just two... friends? Coworkers? It's just two... people getting together for dinner and that's all. What does Kendra know anyway? I mean, it's not like Kendra goes on many conventional dates anyway. This isn't a date. This isn't a date. This? So not a date._

She would've like nothing more than for Logan to open the door and not look so good and not smell good enough to eat - or jump him, but... he did. And that, she decided, could be a problem. She smiled and followed him into the living room. 

"I'm gonna check on the food. Why don't you pick out some music?" He said, then disappeared into the kitchen. 

She stood for a moment, then walked over to the stereo. She had already become acquainted with his CD collection, so it was just a matter of picking out the right music. _Kendra said something about mood music and dates... well, since this is so totally not a date, I'll pick something that's not mood music. 'Cause this isn't a date, and we don't need mood music. Umm... Sibelius. That sounds like a pre-Pulse alternative rock band. Doesn't it? I hope it is... please be ear assaulting rock, please please... dammit. That's definitely classical. I'll just -_

"You know, I didn't picture you as a classical kind of girl." 

Max froze and pulled her finger away from the eject button on the stereo. She straightened slowly and turned to face Logan. She smiled softly, then walked over to him and accepted the glass of champagne he had in his hand. 

"Well, I figure if I could be a tango type of girl, I could probably be a classical type too." 

"Seems logical." He smirked and took a sip of his champagne. 

"Well," She grinned. "You know me and logic." 

"Speaking of your siblings," He smirked, then grew suddenly serious, and plucked a manilla envelope from the coffee table. "I managed to find something else out. It's another police report, which has me starting to think that your brothers and sisters don't get the meaning of low key, and it has to do with a sixteen year old boy. There's a picture in there and I have to say that you and he really look alike." 

"It's gotta be Krit then." She said, now serious herself. She walked over to him and took the envelope from his hand. She opened it and pulled out the police report, then the picture of the boy. It was indeed Krit. She smiled down at the picture of her frowning brother. "We all used to say that Krit and I were brother and sister - for real, because we looked so much alike, ya know? We said it about Syl and Zack too, cause there was a resemblance there. 'Course, now we all know that can't be true." 

She paused and looked up at Logan. She continued, a sadness in her voice that she had never allowed before. "We were experiments. We weren't any better than the lab rats to them. We were _things_. Possessions. They did whatever they wanted to us and we didn't know that we couldn't really be related or that it was _wrong_ to break our bones, batter our minds, and toss us around like rag dolls that were too old and ugly to play with anymore." 

Logan took her champagne glass from her and set both of theirs on the coffee table, then moved over to her and gently took the envelope from her hands. He tossed it onto the coffee table then brought her into his arms. "You aren't that anymore, Max. You're a _person_ now." 

"For now." She said, blinking back the tears and burying her head in his chest. "At least until they finally catch up with me and put me back in a cage. They won't stop until they have every single one of us, Logan, and then we'll just go right back to rag doll status." 

She craned her neck so she could look into his eyes. "I don't want to be a thing." 

"You're not." He practically whispered, and both of them couldn't help but feel as if that was some sort of promise. 

  
  
  
  


A/N numero... two: I wanted to pause and thank everyone for the feedback. It's been really great. :D Now, on to finish the next chapter, among other things. 


	12. Nice and Not So Bad

_That is the worst and best date I have ever been on in my life._ Max thought sullenly as she wheeled her bike into her apartment. _I mean, I've never been able to just tell someone practically everything like that before, but... I've never told anyone that much before._

She threw off her jacket roughly and let it fall to the floor and walked into her room. She fell onto the bed and covered her head with her pillow. _I just know he's going to look at me now and think "She's not a real person." I should've just kept my mouth shut about Manticore. He could've found the info if he wanted to - but... it was his eyes. Those damn eyes. They're... they're like that bastard machine at Manticore that just made you talk and talk and talk until you were sure your tongue was bleeding and ready to fall off and no one wanted to hear your pathetic whiny little voice anymore. _

But nice. 

* * * 

Logan set his glasses on the coffee table and rubbed his eyes. _What exactly happened tonight? I know Max told me pretty much everything about her past, about Manticore... and I know she was so close to me that I thought I'd die. Though I'm sure I'd die the happiest man on Earth. But... lost my train of thought there. Jesus, I must be tired. _

From what Max has made clear about herself, it's obvious she isn't one to let people get close to her, so that makes me feel a little weird. For whatever reason, she chose to tell **me**. She could've told anyone, but it was **me**. That's never happened before. I usually end up being the last to know, but when it comes to her, I seem to always be the first. That may or may not be a good thing, considering Max herself. This is certainly a strange feeling for me. 

But it's not so bad. 

* * * * * 

_Something on your nose. Something on your nose. Something **annoying** on your nose._

Logan grunted and swatted whatever was on his nose away. Whatever it was, it was persistent. It went right back to its tricks, making him strike out again. It kept going, which effectively woke him up. He grumbled something, then grabbed the blurry object in front of him. 

"Those are some reflexes you've got there." 

Confused in his sluggish state, he looked up and saw that Max was standing over him and he was holding onto her wrist. He mumbled an apology and let go, then slowly sat up. He rubbed his eyes, slid on his glasses, and looked around. "This... isn't my room." 

"You're a very perceptive man." 

He turned to look out the window, then turned to Max. "What time is it?" 

She glanced at her watch. "Uh... twelve thirty. Why?" 

"I'm late." He said slowly. 

Max gasped in an overly dramatic way. "Logan, I didn't get you pregnant, did I!?" 

"No." He grumbled and stood up quickly. "I'm late for a meeting with an informant. I should've been there twenty minutes ago. If he's left I'll lose everything I've been working on. I've got to go." 

Max held up a hand to stop him. "That pile of scrap metal you call a car will get you nowhere fast. You get ready and I'll be back in five minutes." 

Before he could even nod, she was half way out of the room. He hesitated for a moment, then realized that when Max said five minutes, she meant five minutes. 

* * * * 

Logan shakily dismounted from Max's motorcycle, unsure if he had just been shaken or stirred. He looked at the vehicle and wondered how something that looked so small could be so fast. He looked at Max, who was grinning and getting off the bike herself, and realized that outward appearances often were misleading. He shook his head, trying to clear it a bit, then looked around. 

"Where's this guy of yours?" Max asked, looking around herself. 

"I don't know." He answered. "I just hope he didn't leave. He's not an easy man to get a hold of." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Only has trouble finding people? Please. You managed to locate some of the most discreet soldiers in the nation, all with one little computer and that great brain of yours. I find it hard to believe that this one guy would be so hard for you to find again." 

"You haven't seen John yet." Logan smirked. 

She would've asked him what that meant exactly, but by now she had realized that Logan's smirk would've just turned into a full blown grin and then he'd make that little chuckling sound that she'd grown to find endearing - instead of something that would drive her to the brink of insanity. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and, startled, she grabbed the person's arm and flipped whoever it was over her shoulder then dropped into a fighting stance. 

"Max!" Logan exclaimed. "Don't! That's John." 

She relaxed, then looked from Logan to the man John. 'Woodsman' didn't even begin to describe him. His beard was way beyond bushy in the charming Santa Claus way; it was dirty and looked like it might have been host to a family of squirrels at one point or another. His clothes weren't much better, old rags that looked like they had seen both Bush men become President and hadn't seen a washer since. He wore a tattered blue baseball cap that didn't do a thing for him, except maybe keep the mice that Max guessed lived in his hair warm at night. 

"Sorry." She said and helped the man up. "I just don't like being snuck up on." 

"From your reaction, I take that it doesn't happen often." John replied and picked up a walking stick that she had failed to notice. 

"You could say that my... upbringing taught me better." She replied, then added in a grunt, "Some upbringing." 

John smiled at her, then turned to Logan. "So, you want to know about Lempkin's latest?" 


	13. More Talking

A/N: This chapter isn't spellchecked because I haven't got the time. I barely have time to write this. In fact... bye now. 

  
  
  
  
Max shook her head and stared down into her coffee that tasted horrible. "I just don't get how _that_ guy knows what's up in the world." 

"Like I said," Logan replied. "With the way John lives, he can see things that no one else can." 

"But how?" She asked. "I mean, it's not like he can blend in and shoot the cow with any old average citizen out there." 

Logan smirked at her misusage of the phrase. "I agree that John can't shoot the... cow with anyone any time, but people feel as if they can talk about anything in front of him because of his... unique appearance, thinking that he's just an idiot who can't find a job." 

"All right." She paused. "So how did he find out about Lempkin and how does he get his information? The guy's not exactly going home and pulling a Logan." 

"Pulling a Logan?" He asked, his face scrunching up. 

She smiled at him. "You know, computer magic." 

"Ah." 

"All I'm saying is I just don't get it." She sighed. "Well, I would tell you that I should be dropping you off at home and getting my ass back to work, but... I don't want to." 

"What would you like to do then?" 

"Well," She said and looked around the dingy diner they were in. "First I say we ditch this soup stand - what? What is that look for? I haven't even finished yet." 

"Nothing." Logan smiled. "Nothing." 

* * * * 

Max walked into Crash, a confident smile on her face. She walked down the stairs from the entrance, then stopped at the last stair and looked back up. She chuckled to herself as Logan walked through the door and finally joined her. 

"Not your sort of dive?" She asked. 

"Not exactly." He said, looking around. "But it's not so bad." 

"Glad to hear it." She said, then looked toward the pool table to see if her friends were there. "Come on, there's some people I want you to meet." 

Before he could say anything, she took his hand and weaved expertly through the people in the bar. They eventually reached the pool table and her friends. He looked at all of them before they noticed him, wondering what they would think of him. He wondered why he cared if they cared. After all, it wasn't like he and Max were _dating_. His brow furrowed in confusion. Or were they? 

"Hey." Max greeted. 

A blonde turned to face them and Logan couldn't read her expression. She looked at him blankly for a moment, then looked at Max and smiled. She raised her eyebrows, then slowly walked over to the two people at the pool table. Logan watched her say something to them, then another woman followed the blonde over to them, leaving the man by the pool table alone. 

"Who's your friend?" The blonde asked Max while eyeing up Logan. 

"This is Logan." Max told her. "Logan, this is Kendra and Original Cindy." 

"Nice to meet you." Logan said, unsure about just about everything. He knew his name was Logan and that was good enough for him. 

"Huh." Original Cindy said; she hadn't been greeted like that in a long while. "Nice to meet you too, Logan." 

"Oh!" Kendra said and slapped her forehead gently. "Max, Sketchy wanted me to tell you that once you got here, he was gonna kick your ass at pool. He told me to tell you that once you got here so he could, I think his words were, show you who's boss." 

"Really?" Max said. "Well, I'll be right back then." 

She gave Logan a small smile, then made her way to the pool table where Sketchy was waiting. Kendra and Original Cindy watched her go, then turned to Logan. They looked him over extensively, then both moved to stand at either of his sides. 

"So, you're the guy Max told us about, huh?" Original Cindy asked. 

"If the guy's name was Logan, then yes." 

"Well, it was, so he is you." Kendra replied. "So, how long have you known Max?" 

"About a couple of weeks, I guess." 

"You're not sure?" Original Cindy asked, then grabbed his hands and checked them for rings. "Why aren't you sure?" 

"I'm sure it has been a couple of weeks." Logan told her. 

"How've those couple of weeks been going?" Kendra asked as she inspected his jacket. "You've been seeing each other regularly, correct?" 

"Yeah..." He replied, unsure of where this was all going. _My name's Logan._

"So, Max is a great girl." Original Cindy said. "I bet you two have had dinner a few times, right?" 

"Some." 

"What's your past history?" Kendra asked as she peered into one of the pockets of his jocket. "Good? Bad? What? Rate yourself on a scale from one to ten on your dating history, one being the worst and ten being the best." 

"Look -" 

"Answer the question." Kendra said, serious. 

"I don't know, eight, but -" 

"Eight?" Kendra repeated, then leaned slightly to look at Original Cindy. "Is eight good?" 

"She normally dates fours, so yeah." OC shrugged. 

They moved away from his sides and stood in front of him. They stared at him for a moment, then Original Cindy began, "Look here, if you hurt our girl we will kill you." 

"But first we'll pull one big Bobbit on you." Kendra added. 

"We really don't want to have to do that." 

"Too messy." Kendra nodded. 

"Look, maybe I -" 

"Original Cindy doesn't recall telling you that it was your turn to speak." OC wagged a finger at him. "Now, we will be watching you." 

"Closely." Kendra said. 

"So watch what you're doing." OC finished. 

Sketchy and Max rejoined them, Max smiling about her victory. She looked from her friends to Logan, confused. "What's going on?" 

"Nothing." OC smiled. "We were just talking with Logan here." 

"About?" Max inquired. 

"Nothing special." Kendra told her. 

"Hmm. Suddenly I'm not in a Crash mood anymore." Max said slowly, starting to realize just what her friends had probably doing. She turned to Logan. "I could go for some coffee, how about you?" 

"My place?" 

Max thought for a moment. "Nah, how about mine for a change?" 

"All right." Logan nodded. 

Max said good-bye to her friends, then the two made their way to the exit. After watching them leave, Kendra turned to Original Cindy. 

"Can I crash at your place tonight? I so do not want to hear them banging the gong all night long." 


	14. Oh That Max and Her Tendency To Run Away

Max opened the door to her apartment and tried to push away all of the unpleasant thoughts she was having, but she wasn't having much luck of that. _Oh God, what was I thinking? His place is so nice and this is a hell hole. Look, there's the stain on the floor from when my bike was dripping a month ago. Good thing I fixed that, but - Oh. My. God. Please let that **not** be Kendra's bra on the back of the couch. This was a mistake._

Max went over to the couch quickly and swatted Kendra's offending garment onto the floor, then braced herself and turned to Logan, putting on her best smile. "I hope you like artificial." 

"I've gotten used to it." 

"Really?" She relaxed visibly then walked over to the fridge. She pulled down the small paper bag they kept the coffee in and went over to dented kettle Kendra called Melvin. "I would've though a guy with your resources would be buying the real thing." 

"It gets expensive." He shrugged and leaned against the counter. "I keep the real stuff for visitors." 

"I'm not that high minded." She said and put the kettle on the hot plate that served as the stove. "If I had the cash, I'd get it all for myself. Well, actually, I would probably share a few things with some select people, but other than them... mine, all mine." 

Max could sense a silence coming on, and she knew she wouldn't be able to take it, so she sent Logan over to the mini-stereo to put in some music. She watched him looking over the CD collection and smiled. "You're not going to find any classical." 

She walked over to him and began looking over the small collection with him. "All that's here is Kendra's pre-Pulse punk and some hip-hop Original Cindy left here." 

"Where's your music?" He asked and put down a CD. 

Max shrugged. "I'm not a music fiend. I just throw in whatever or if I can manage to get a radio station I just keep that on." 

"Kendra really listens to this?" Logan asked and held up a CD. "She doesn't seem like it." 

"Yeah." Max agreed. "It's from her teenage phase years. She told me once that when she was younger she went through the whole safety pin, dyed hair, you suck stage. Apparently it was great for her, so she keeps it around and listens to it when she thinks I can't hear. And I know she's got pictures, I just haven't found them yet." 

Logan randomly chose a CD and put it in, then pushed the play button and went to sit on the couch. Max stood for a moment, unsure if she should join him. Deciding that should wouldn't risk an awkward situation, she went back to the kettle to check on its progress. Seeing it was almost done, she got two mismatched cups from the cabinet behind her and set them down. 

"So, I didn't get the chance to tell you that I found something else on another of your siblings." Logan said. 

"Oh?" She asked, trying to focus on the coffee. 

"Yeah." He continued. "Another police report, but with something else. There's a document that seems to be a lease for an apartment - or whatever's closest to that these days." 

"What was the name?" 

"It was under Sylvia McGinnis." He told her. "Ring any bells?" 

"It's probably Syl." She said. "But it's just a guess. Any one of my sisters could've been a little bummed and was looking for a connection to one of us, then just picked that name because of Syl, but... I usually over-think these things." 

She paused to pour the coffee then looked at him. "That night, did I tell you how I made up lives for them?" 

He shook his head and she grabbed the two cups and walked over to him. After handing him his coffee, she settled herself on the couch next to him and took a sip of the unpleasant tasting liquid. "I thought about a few times. Jondy's a fashion photographer and I bet she's dating someone with a name almost as unusual as hers. Brin's an architect, and Tinga's a mom I bet... oh, and Syl and Krit are probably wreaking havoc somewhere in New York - and... and I realize this is really stupid so I'm just going to stop talking now." 

"It's not stupid." Logan said softly and set his cup down. "It's good to know you care enough to think about them. Most people would have just forgotten all about them. It really says something about you." 

"That I'm a freak with a dysfunctional family life?" She quipped sadly then turned her head to stare at the spot her bike made on the floor. 

"No." He said and gently turned her head to face him. "It says that you're a caring person with an amazing personality, who's funny, sweet, and exceptional in general." 

"It really says _all_ that?" She smiled. 

"Well, no." He admitted. "I did a little ad-libbing on it, but that doesn't make any of it any less true." 

Her smile widened and she became suddenly uncomfortable, so she looked down and stared at her lap. She felt him move a little closer and looked up at him. She stared in his eyes and saw what he really thought of her - and it scared her. _How could he look at me like that? It's **me** and I'm... broken._

"You know," She suddenly blurted out. "I realize that we're very close. So close in fact that if one of us was to lean forward even just a smidgen, our lips would touch and that would effectively turn into a kiss, and then who knows what that would turn into? I mean, there's a lot of things that it could turn into and I'm not sure I can handle that 'cause I'm just not built for this and so I think I'm gonna go." 

Before Logan could stop her, she had risen from the couch and was out the door. He sat for a moment, then got up and walked to the door. He opened it and stepped outside into the hallway, then looked right and left. He heard something shuffle near him and looked down, finding Max sitting on the floor a few inches from the doorway. 

"As soon as I closed the door I realized that this is my apartment." She said quietly. 


	15. Shake Shake Shake Shake Ya Bootay!

"Max..." 

"You don't have to say anything." She interrupted. "I know I'm the one that screwed everything up. I'm the one who ran away like I always do. I'm a fog bank." 

"A fog bank?" He asked and sat next to her. 

She nodded. "Yeah. An ex of mine told me that I was a female fog bank once. He said that being in a relationship with me is hard because you know you're in the middle of something, but you don't know what. He was right too. Cindy tried to tell me that he wasn't, but I knew... I knew he was." 

"He wasn't." Logan told her and put his hand over hers. "There's not a foggy thing about you." 

She looked at him and smiled. "That was very sweet, but you were lying." 

Logan sighed. "Well, all right, you do have foggy qualities, but Max, _everyone_ has those. If someone _didn't_ have them, I would question their humanity. You're more human than anyone I've ever met in my life." 

"Does that make me more foggy?" She questioned. 

"No." He smiled. "It makes you just foggy enough." 

His smile faded and Max wondered what was wrong, but then she felt it. They both glanced down to their hands and Logan slowly pulled his hand away from Max's, which had begun to twitch. She gripped it with her steady hand, but that soon began to shake as well. 

She turned to him with an ironic smile. "More human, huh?" 

* * * * 

"What can I do?" 

"N - Nothing." She replied and swallowed some pills. "I j - just have to ride it through. The pills help." 

He wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her into the bedroom. He helped her onto the bed and removed her shoes, then pulled a quilt from the floor and put it over her. Unsure of what to do next, he sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"You - you can go." She told him. 

He was beginning to be able to feel the bed shaking because of Max, so he shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere." 

"Pr - Promise?" 

"I promise." He told her and pushed some stray hair from her ashen face. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" 

"I'd tell you to get some milk fr - from the fridge." She said. "But we d - don't have any." 

"I'll just have to get you some then." He said and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed a number, paused, then spoke into the phone. Max was barely able to make out his words, the seizure getting worse instead of better, but she was able to figure out he had called Peter and told him something. 

Not long after, Max saw Peter walk into the bedroom carrying a gallon of milk and a cup from the kitchen. He had begun talking to Logan, but she couldn't make out any of it. She reached for her bottle of tryptophan and downed a few more pills. 

"Jesus." Peter muttered after seeing the quivering mass that he had been told was the amazing, smart-mouthing Max. At first he couldn't believe it. "What happened?" 

"She told me that she gets them sometimes." Logan said as he took the milk from Peter. He had Peter hold the glass while he poured some milk in it. "Something about her serotonin levels getting low." 

Peter nodded as he watched Logan help Max sit up and drink the milk. "Yeah, my brother's a doctor. He told me about a patient of his. Those're tryptophan pills, right? It's in milk too." 

"Th - Thanks." Max sputtered in Peter's general direction. 

"No problem, smartass." He replied with a weak smile. 

"I'm gon - gonna kick your ass after I s - stop my imp - impersonati - nation of je - jello." She replied with a weak smile of her own. 

"I'll be there." 

"Good." She said as Logan helped her lay back down. "I d - don't want you getting soft on me." 

The effort of just sitting up had thoroughly worn Max out, so she closed her eyes and tried her best to relax. 

"You need anything else, man?" Peter asked. 

"No, you can go ahead." Logan told him. "You want me to call?" 

"If you need anything." Peter told him, then walked to the doorway. He stopped and turned around. "And when she's better." 

Logan smiled at his friend and watched him go. The smile fell quickly, however, when he turned back to Max and watched her seize uncontrollably. He could see the milk working slowly - _very_ slowly - _But,_ he thought, _at least it's working._

"L - Logan." She called in a whisper. 

"I'm here." 

"D - Don't leave." She said, her voice like that of a child who was scared of the monster in her closet. 

"I won't." 

"Logan, st - stay with me." She pleaded. 

Unsure of how else to show that he wouldn't be leaving her any time soon, he moved to the other side of the bed and laid down next to her. He kept a small distance between them so she would be free to move, but that was apparently not what she wanted at all; she rolled over and moved as close to him as she could get without actually being inside him. 

"Don't go." She whispered. 

  
  
  
  
A/N: Something in this chapter seemed... visually wrong. I don't know if anyone else will see it (Quarkz might) but oh well I suppose.  
Oh, and sorry for the mini-delay with this chapter but I got swept up in that thing called "real life" and only the preparation for the homecoming game gave me some time to update. Next chapter soon. :) 


	16. Cold Dead Milk ?

Kendra walked into the apartment, whistling. She decided that it was probably safe to return home, figuring that Logan would already be gone. She had been right; he was nowhere in sight. Max, however, was in plain view, laying on the couch with her eyes closed. But Kendra knew better than to think she was asleep. 

"Long night?" 

"The longest." Max replied, her voice raucous. She opened one eye to glance at her friend, then closed it again. 

"I knew I was smart to stay at Cindy's." She smiled. "I just knew you and Mr. Spiky Hair would be banging the gong. Details?" 

"There was no gong banging." Max said simply. 

Kendra picked up the empty milk jug from the floor and looked at it curiously. "Oh really?" 

"Yes. I mean, no. Yes. No." Max sighed. "Whichever one means that Logan and I didn't do anything." 

"So, I stayed at Cindy's for nothing?" 

_Not nothing._ Max thought. _I really wasn't looking forward to you coming home and finding me seizing._

"He did stay the night." Max told her. "But nothing happened." 

"Okay, so he stayed in your bed, I assume, and you two just... slept?" Kendra shook her head. "Okay, somewhere along the line, something went wrong." 

_Tell me about it._ Max thought, imagining the incompetent lab tech that had crossed the wrong wires in her brain and wringing his or her neck. 

"It's actually better this way." Max said. "I don't think Logan and I are at that stage yet anyway." 

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, two people are _always_ at that stage." 

"You're just a big hornball." 

"Guilty and loving it." Kendra smiled, then went to her bedroom. She began telling her about what she and Original Cindy had gotten into at Crash the night before, but Max was only half listening. She was actually starting to worry about Logan. 

_He went for milk almost half an hour ago. It doesn't take this long to get milk. He's probably in a ditch somewhere, with the milk. Or the milk is probably clutched in his cold, dead hands because that's just the way he is._

A few minutes later, she heard the door open and opened her eyes. Original Cindy and Logan walked into the apartment. OC wiggled her eyebrows at Max, then moved to sit on the edge of the coffee table while Logan poured a new glass of milk. 

"So, what happened?" 

"Nothing." Kendra answered for Max as she walked into the room. 

Original Cindy looked down at Max and scoffed. "Right, and Kendra's gonna be wearing a white wedding dress." 

"Yeah, I - hey!" Kendra said, then grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and tossed it at Cindy. "Only I can make such jokes about my..." 

"Promiscuity?" Max offered. 

Kendra thought it over. "Yeah, you know, that sounds a lot better than 'horniness.'" 

"Aiight, well, I can see that you need some rest," Original Cindy said. "And that you've got some able care, so Kendra and I are gonna go." 

"Where ya going?" Max asked. 

"We're gonna get some coffee, then we're going to meet my cousin." Kendra told her. "She needs some man advice, and OC is a fountain of man knowledge, so it just seemed natural." 

"Have fun." Max yawned and closed her eyes. 

Kendra and Original Cindy made their way to the door, their only stop being to tell Logan to take good care of Max because their offer of "Bobbitization" still stood. After he promised four times that he would take only the best care of her, they finally left. 

Logan carried the milk jug and the glass over to the couch, then sat on the edge of the coffee table and set the jug on the floor. After Max sat up, he handed her the glass and watched her drink. 

After downing more than half of the drink, Max said, "I, uh, thanks for staying with me last night." 

"It was nothing." He told her. "I'd spend the night with you any time." 

After he said it, he realized how many different meanings the statement could have, but he decided not to verify. Last night when he had felt Max's body calming to a gentle quiver, he decided that he would no longer try and hide his feelings for her, or what he felt was between them. 

"Me too." She replied quietly. 

_So, it looks like she's decided the same._ He thought and smiled. 

  
  
A/N: I bet my English teacher would be so proud. I used one of our "words of the day" in the story.  
raucous - disagreeably harsh or strident : HOARSE __  
Heh. 


	17. Max Has A What Now?

_Stacey's mom has got it goin' on  
She's all I want and I've waited for so long  
Stacey can't you see, you're just not the girl for me  
I know it might be wrong but  
I'm in love with Stacey's mom _

Stacey's mom has got it goin' on  
Stacey's mom has got it goin' on 

Max opened her eyes slowly, wondering if the song was in her dream. It had been a nice dream, involving her sipping a martini on the beach... though toward the end Logan appeared, wearing a parka and the only word he would say, well, scream, was "Afflack!" 

She turned to the CD player and saw Logan bobbing his head to the tune coming from the speakers. She shook her head as she listened to the lyrics, wondering who in their right minds would write a song like this. Whoever it was, she decided, had to either be mentally deranged or a marketing genius. 

"What is that?" 

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?" He said and lowered the volume. "I know you don't sleep, so -" 

"Now look who's babbling." She snickered. 

He grinned. "Must be contagious." 

"Must be." She replied and stretched. She threw the blanket off herself and pulled herself to her feet, then began doing stretches. Once she felt Logan's eyes on her, she straightened up and looked over at him, raising her eyebrows. "So, you make a sleeping beauty anything to eat?" 

"I didn't make anything, _beauty_, but I picked something up from that diner that we went to after we met with John." He said, indicating a styrofoam container on the counter. "The fries are probably cold, but the sandwich should be good." 

"Gracias." She smiled at him, then went over to the container and opened it. _Ham. Huh._ She grabbed a half of the sandwich, took a huge bite out of it, then turned to Logan. "So, what was that song you were listening to? Sounded weird." 

"It was." He answered. "It was something I thought I'd never hear again. It's certainly very amusing to hear again. But anyway, how's that sandwich?" 

"Yours was better." She told him. _Maybe because he made it with care? Not like those people at the diner who make the same sandwich for the same nameless face over and over... pssh, right. And after you finish the sandwich you and Logan will hold hands and skip and sing songs from The Sound of Music. You're getting soft, Max, too soft._

"Of course it was better." He said and walked to the fridge, then opened it and peered inside. "_I_ made it, didn't I? I am just a culinary master." 

Max snorted. "A culinary master with an ego the size of an X5's appetite, which, trust me, is pretty damn big." 

Logan handed Max a soda and grabbed himself one, then closed the fridge. "Well, on that extremely educational note, I should probably get going." 

"Really?" Her face fell, half of her wishing that he hadn't seen and the other half hoping he did. 

"Yeah." He said. "There's some Eyes Only stuff that I have to look at and you probably need some more rest." 

"I heal quick." She blurted out. _Why the **hell** did I just say that?_

"I should still be going." He said quietly and closed the gap between them. _Hey, she's not rambling on..._

Suddenly, the door flew open and Kendra walked into the apartment, complaining loudly. "Can you believe this weather? I know it's Seattle and rain is plentiful, but my Go - Go - Oooh. Sorry. I'm interrupting." 

"Dinner at seven-thirty. Dress up." He said, cupping her face in his hands, and plainly ignoring Kendra. They both softly laughed when the cold soda can made Max shiver. 

"I think I can make it." She replied, smiling up at him. 

He smirked at her, then lightly kissed her forehead. He turned away from her and smiled widely at Kendra before leaving the apartment. 

"What?" Max frowned, catching Kendra's look and raised eyebrows. 

Kendra grinned wickedly and began singing. "Max has a boyfriend! Max has a boyfriend!" 

"Shut up." Max replied, trying very unsuccessfully to hide her smile. 

"Max has a boyfriend! Max has a boyfriend!" Kendra continued singing. "Wait until I tell everybody that... _Max has a boyfriend, Max has a boyfriend!_" 


	18. You're So Beautiful To Me Remember When...

A/N: This would've been up a little sooner, but I wasn't home and didn't have access. Hope it's not crap city. 

  
  
  
  
"My little Max is all grown up." 

"Stop it." 

"It seems like only yesterday, doesn't it?" 

"I said, stop it." 

"She looks so grown up and beautiful." 

"I'm beginning to despise you." 

"She'll have to beat off the other men with a stick!" 

"Seriously, stop it _now_." 

"Oh, she won't even notice them. She'll be too busy being all _dreamy eyed_ with _Logan_." 

"Is this hate I'm feeling? I think so." 

Kendra and Original Cindy laughed a good laugh, then OC put a hand on Max's shoulder. 

"You know we're only messing with you because we're happy for you." 

"Yeah, well, you're making me as nervous as hell." Max said, tearing a tissue in her hand. 

"You look good." Kendra told her, looking over the dress they had managed to get Max on short notice. It was black, sleeveless, and softly ruffled at the hemline, which was just at Max's knees. "Scratch that, you look perfect." 

"So, he didn't tell you why you had to dress up?" OC frowned. 

Kendra snickered. "She was too busy tripping over their little moment in time to realize what the hell he told her." 

"I was not." Max glared. "There was no tripping. I was stealthy, on my feet, _alert_." 

"Riiight." Kendra scoffed. "And I'm going to be wearing a white wedding dress." 

Original Cindy looked at her watch. "Well, we better get you over there so you're on time. Kendra, you're absolutely _sure_ your cousin is chill with us using his car?" 

Kendra sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. I mean, he only called the cops that one time!" 

* * * * 

Max watched Kendra and Original Cindy drive off, laughing about something. _Okay, Max, just get through this night without throwing up all over him and we can count it as a success. All right? All right._ She walked into the building, oblivious to the looks she was getting from the door man and every other person in the room. It wasn't until she heard a woman coldly say, "See something you like Henry?" Which was closely followed by Henry's reply, "Um... you, dear?" that she noticed other people were aware of her presence. 

She smiled to herself and stepped into the elevator. 

* * * 

Startled didn't even begin to describe Logan's reaction when he first saw Max. Flabbergasted, maybe. Shocked was a definite contender. She had decided to pick the lock and sneak up on him while he was on the phone, which had been quite funny for her - but nearly cause for a heart attack for him. 

"I... uh... you... I mean... I... we..." 

"That's the best you can come up with?" She smirked and crossed her arms. "Come on, even when I was Miss Gelatin of the Year I could form full sentences." 

"Well, I... you... hi." 

She rolled her eyes. "Wow. You are _special_, you know that?" 

"Well, I... um... I'm still on the phone." Logan quickly put the phone back to his ear. "Mr. Brecken? ... Yes, I'm very sorry. I got distracted. ... Right, well - ... Okay, all right. Tomorrow it is. ... Okay, good-bye." 

He hung up the phone and tried to ignore Max's stare, but found it quite impossible. "Yes?" 

"Do you mind telling me why I had to go hard-core?" She replied, gesturing to her dress. 

He tried to make it a point to not let his eyes linger on the dress. He smirked, "Well, I was thinking that you might like a chance to pick up a Rolex or two." 

"A party?" She smiled. 


	19. Logan's Training Potty and a Pillow Figh...

A/N: Sorry this took me so long, but it took forever to reorganize the story and then get back my inspiration. Right now I'm trying to finish this quickly, because the laptop I'm borrowing has to go back to its real owner. *tear* 

  
  


  
  
Max _knew_ she was hilarious. She _knew_ that this was the best idea since sliced bread. She _knew_... well, she knew a lot of things and she knew this would be quite hysterical. She wasn't sure if Logan would find it as funny as she was sure to, but she decided that it would be all good in the end. _After all,_ she smirked. _How could he stay mad at a face like this?_

Logan flipped onto his back, yawning and stretching his arms. He was still a moment, then sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked out the window, then pushed the covers off himself and got out of bed. He lazily shuffled his way around the bed and out of the room. 

_What the hell?_ Max frowned and sat up. She was about to step out of the bed and mope about her failed prank, but Logan rushed back into the room, his eyes wide with disbelief, and she stopped. 

"What - what - you... my bed... why?" He blurted. 

"You mean you don't remember?" She exclaimed dramatically. "Is that how little I mean to you?" 

"I - I mean, I... I -" 

"No, I see how it is." She sniffled and turned away, hoping to keep herself from smiling. "I see that I'm no better to you than the hoes in Sector Two!" 

"What? The hoes in -" 

"Don't say anything more!" She yelled, then threw the covers off herself and jumped out of the bed dramatically. "I can't bear it!" 

"Max, you -" He noticed that she was wearing the clothes she usually wore to work. "You... you... that's not funny!" 

"I thought it was hysterical!" She burst out laughing. 

"You don't do a thing like that to a man with a hangover." He growled and stomped out of the room. 

She rolled her eyes and followed him, pulling some pictures from her pocket as she walked. Her smile widened as she listened to his angry mumbling that didn't make much sense at all. Once they reached the kitchen, she hopped up on the counter and watched him turn on the coffee maker and grumble. 

"Here." She said and handed him the pictures. 

"What're these?" He yawned. 

"I found Kendra's pictures." She told him. "She's got safety pins up the wazoo." 

He leafed through the pictures, then grinned and handed them back to her. "Well, let me say how glad I am that I don't have any pictures from my childhood or teenage years." 

She smiled, then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a few more pictures. "But you do." 

"What do you mean?" He asked, eyeing up the pictures. 

"Well, sometime after you stopped humming the Mission Impossible theme, passed out, and I put you in bed," She hopped down from the counter. "I got a little bored and decided to look around for something to amuse me." 

"Max..." 

"I found something buried deep within the bowels of your hall closet." She said and slowly began walking away from him. "It had 'family album' written on it, and the curious little kitty cat that I am, I _had_ to open it." 

"Curiosity killed the cat." He said and began walking toward her. 

"What I found was a barrage of pictures ranging from Logan's first step to Logan's fifth Christmas to Logan's prom and even _all_ the way up to Logan leaves for college." She grinned and jumped back as he tried to lunge at her. "My personal favorite, though, is Logan's first training potty." 

He paled at that. "No..." 

"See, I think this is the only advantage of being a genetically engineered freak job," She said. "No embarrassing baby pictures." 

"Max, give me the pictures." 

"You'll have to fight me for these gems." She said, waving the pictures in her hand. 

Well, Logan decided if she wanted a fight, she would get a fight. He started after her, then as she sprinted away from him laughing madly, he used all that he had gained while on his college track team. 

He had managed to corner her in the bedroom, but it ended up being in her favor when she jumped onto the bed, grabbed a pillow, and pointed at him with the look of a mentally deranged warrior. 

"Now, you die!" She exclaimed, then threw the pillow at him. 

The pillow bounced off his chest and onto the floor. He bent down and picked it up, then looked at her; she already had another pillow and was poised to strike. 

"You realize," He said. "That this means war." 

"Bring it on." She challenged. 

He jumped up onto the bed with her and they stood for a moment... then began to beat each other incessantly with the pillows. 


	20. And that's why Logan hates Peter

"Do... you... give... up... yet?" Logan panted and weakly hurled a pillow at Max, then dove behind the couch to avoid her retaliation. 

Max laughed as if she were a super villain from a pre-Pulse cartoon. "I'm not in the least bit tired, thanks to my far superior genetics. Are you ready to surrender?" 

"This would normally be the point where I tell you no." Logan said, his head popping up from behind the couch. "But we've been at this for two hours and I'm only human, so yes, I do surrender." 

Max frowned and dropped the pillow she was holding on the floor. "But that's no fun. It's not the way it goes." 

"Well, if you like, I could just lay on the floor here and you can pelt me with pillows until you tire of it." 

"How sweet of you to offer." She smiled. For a moment Logan thought she was going to take him up on that, but she just grabbed the pillow from the floor and set it on the couch where it belonged. "So, what do we do now?" 

Before Logan could suggest anything, there was a knock on the door. He sat up and was just about to pull himself to his feet when Max raised a hand to stop him. 

"You stay there and pant like a fat kid who chased an ice cream truck around the block, and I'll answer it." She grinned widely and began to walk out of the room. "I hope it's Peter. I've been wanting to talk to him." 

Logan shrugged, then grabbed a pillow off the couch and tossed it on the floor, then laid back down. He stared at the ceiling, contemplating all the things he could whip up for a late lunch for Max and himself. He guessed she would probably be in again for dinner after she strolled into work five minutes before the day ended, just like she told him she always did. _Chicken? Chicken's always good, and -_

"Logan!" 

He recognized that voice. That voice was never good. That voice - 

"LOGAN!" 

- Belonged to a vicious woman in a cream pantsuit who was currently standing over him with a furious expression on her face. 

"Aunt Margot." Logan tried to smile, but he felt more like crying. "What - What are you doing here?" 

She turned to look - and glare - at Max, who had just walked into the room, then turned back to Logan. "I'm making my rounds, inviting all the Cales to Jonas' annual birthday party. I wasn't aware you had... company." 

Max walked up behind Margot and pointed to Margot, then made a choking hand motion that made Logan a little nervous. "Well, we weren't exactly expecting company ourselves." 

"Logan?" Margot questioned. 

"Um..." He sat up and tried to think of something to say. "Um, I was... just about to make Max and myself a quick lunch." 

"Is she a... friend of yours, Logan?" 

"Yeah, am I a friend Logan?" Max raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. _Perfect way to get a clue as to what the hell is going on between us._

Logan chuckled nervously. "It's a funny thing. Max and I... we're... uh..." 

"Are you... involved?" Margot asked, not bothering to mask the horror in her face. 

"Yeah, are we _involved_ Logan?" 

"Heh, well, you know how these things are." He licked his lips. "Uh... um..." 

"Well, I'm going to expect you at the party." Margot snapped. "If you'll excuse me, I don't feel much like visiting right now and I've got other Cales to visit. Good-bye." 

They watched her go, then Max turned to Logan. "You didn't answer me." 

"Uh... huh?" 

"Okay." She said icily. "Well, you know, I don't really feel like _visiting_ myself anymore right now, so I'm going to take a cue from that oh-so-ever-pleasant woman and leave." 

"Wait!" 

"I've got work to do." She told him and left. 

He sat for a moment, damning Margot and wondering what had just happened with Max. He was considering crawling back into bed and spending the rest of the day hidden under the covers when he heard the door open again. Hoping that Max had forgotten something and had come back, he got up quickly and rushed to the door... only to find himself disappointed. 

"What'd you do?" Peter asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I just met Max in the parking garage." He shook his head. "She gave me an actual smile and was generally nice to me, which makes me think you did something stupid." 

"And how do you draw that conclusion?" 

"Usually she saves that Suzy Sunshine crap for you, but obviously something happened and she had to get that charm out of her system somehow." He smirked. "A woman like that isn't usually overflowing with bubbly cheer." 

"You're good." Logan said. He paused, then added, "And that's why I hate you." 


	21. Say Anything, I Steal

"I really don't see how this is going to help." 

"Then you obviously aren't drunk." 

Logan looked up from his glass and studied Peter, who was currently reading the ingredients on a bottle of vodka. _Note to self, don't ever listen to Peter again._

"Did you know vodka's made from potatoes?" Peter said and set the bottle down. "I learned that from my cousin when I was in eighth grade." 

"I'm... happy for you." Logan shook his head and pushed his glass away. "Now, I'm pretty sure this isn't the way to go, so I'm going to try and think of something else to do." 

"Don't you get it?" Peter sighed. "You can't do anything. I mean, well, you could do something, but really, it all depends on her and if she wants to stay pissed off at you." 

"Well, I'd rather do something than nothing." 

Peter grinned wickedly. "Then I've got an idea..." 

* * * * * 

"I don't see this working." Logan sighed and watched as Peter popped a cassette into the ancient boombox. 

"It worked in the movie." Peter said and pushed the volume all the way up. "And really, aren't movies just reality that's been turned into fiction?" 

"No... that doesn't make any sense." 

"Well, probably not, but I had _a lot_ of that vodka so really, you shouldn't be listening to me." Peter smiled and shoved the boombox into Logan's arms. "But never mind that. I'm telling you, just hold this up and stand there with a... I don't know... think like John Cusack and it'll be all peachy keen in no time. At least I think so. I never saw the end of the movie." 

"Can't I just go in and talk to her?" 

"What would be the entertainment value in that?" Peter asked and forced Logan's arms into the air. "Then I wouldn't be having any fun. Now, I couldn't find the song from the movie, so I just grabbed whatever cassette I found in the glove compartment of my car. I hope it's not death metal or bitch-ho rap. Good luck!" 

Peter pressed the play button, then scampered off to hide in the shadows. Logan cringed as the first few notes flew from the speakers. He relaxed when he realized that it was a nice piano piece and wouldn't be turning into any death metal or bitch-ho rap. 

_I can't imagine all the people that you know  
And the places that you go, when the lights are turned down low  
And I don't understand all the things you've seen  
But I'm slipping in between you and your big dreams  
It's always you in my big dreams_

The window of Max's apartment opened and Kendra stuck her head out. She looked around curiously for a minute, then when she spotted Logan she smiled and called down to him, "I love that song!" 

"Where's Max?" He called back. 

"I think she's taking a bath!" She replied. "Hey, um, do you wanna come up? Because that's song's just short of being ten minutes long and the ending isn't the happiest, so I wouldn't want your arms falling off or anything." 

Without hesitation, Logan set down the boombox and rushed into the building. Figuring that the elevator wouldn't be fast enough for him, he hurtled himself up the many flights of stairs. When he finally reached Max's floor, he decided that the elevator might've actually worked out after all. Once he reached Max's door, he leaned against and tried to catch his breath. 

That turned out to be an unfortunate plan. Kendra threw the door open once she heard his footsteps outside, which caused Logan to tumble to the floor in a heap. She began apologizing profusely and helped him back to his feet. 

"Sorry. I just got off the phone with Original Cindy and then I heard you and - and oh, I'm sorry." 

"I'm fine, but... Original Cindy?" He paled. 

She chuckled. "Oh, we're not going to pull a Bobbit on you. Yet, that is. It all still remains to be seen. Well, anyway, I better get going 'cause Max is standing over there and you two'll need to talk and I'll need to get going, 'cause I've got places to be and... yeah, bye!" 

Before Logan could say a thing, or address the pain in his side, Kendra had already gone, shutting the door behind her. He turned slowly to face Max, who was clad in a tattered blue robe with her hair still dripping wet. She crossed her arms and had a stony expression that made Logan consider just jumping out the window. 

"What?" 

"I, uh, wanted to talk." 

"Well, there ya go. You just talked. So, I guess that's it then. Buh-bye." She replied. _Right, be a big ol' bitch and it won't hurt as much. That's a real genius plan, Max. Then afterward why don't you stab him?_

"Max..." 

"Look, you could've done all the talking in the world in your apartment, but you didn't." She interrupted. "I've thought it over and decided that it would be best for both of us if we just never talked about it at all, ever. I mean, who needs this kind of complicating thing in their life right now? I certainly don't. I don't have time to spend wondering if one Logan Cale gives a damn whether I'm alive or not." 

"Max, I -" 

"Ya know," She continued. "I realize that I've said too much now and I'm all talked out, so why don't you leave because this time I realize it's my apartment." 

"I'm not going anywhere until we talk like rational people." 

"Then I'm going to have to kick your ass." She growled through clenched teeth. 

"Then I'm just going to have to accept that I guess." 

She relaxed a bit, but not enough for Logan to really notice. _No one talks to me like that, except for Cindy. Either he's got a nice brave act going for him or he's an idiot._

Unsure about how to take her silence, he continued. "I know I didn't say anything when Margot was around and that was stupid and I know I should've just said what I felt and what was the truth." 

She softened. "And what is the truth?" 


	22. I Also Like It

"Well, that... that I'm an idiot. I think we can agree on that." 

"Is that it? That's the truth you came here to tell me?" 

"No, that's not the whole truth. It's nothing but the truth, but, uh, it's not the whole truth." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "The truth is that you _are_ a friend of mine and that... that we... _are_ involved. Well, at least, I thought we were until I magically became Mighty Morphin' Jackass." 

"Stop." She sighed. 

"What?" 

"I said, stop." She said. "Stop... stop acting like it's all your fault. I was just using the questions your horrible aunt was asking you to find out what was going on with us and that was just wrong. I should've just kicked her ass and _asked you_." 

"I guess we both kind of screwed up." He smirked. 

"I guess so." She replied. _God, I love that smirk._

"So, what do we do now?" 

"I'm not really sure." She told him. "But I'm pretty sure whatever it is ends with you cooking something delicious." 

"All right then. I guess it's... a date." 

"An actual date." She paused. "How weird is that? I mean, just say it. A date. Us. Date. An official date, not just you taking me some place where I can steal stuff." 

"I think this is going to work out beautifully." He replied, unable to stop himself from grinning. 

A sudden outburst interrupted their conversation. Curious, they both wandered over to the window and looked down. What they found was Peter and Kendra sitting on the hood of the Aztek, singing along to the song still blaring out of the boombox. 

Max looked into Logan's eyes and smiled. "I think I'm going to like this." 

"Me too, Max, me too." 

The. End. 

  
  
  
  


A/N: Sorry it took so long, but there was things going on and, well, the poor, innocent story suffered. Trying to end it was difficult because I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I realized that instead of ending it with Margot's party, which would create a need for more to go on, I would end it with them just admitting that they mean something to the other one and the other means something to them. And that's that. :) 


End file.
